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Pub owners at loggerheads with MPs

A war of words is ensuing between pub companies and the government over regulation (VisitBritain)

THE owners of Britain’s pubs have been accused of misleading parliament, trying to bully MPs and calling politicians “morons” in their campaign against plans to regulate the industry.

Greg Mulholland, chairman of the Save the Pub group in parliament, claims Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, gave “misleading but also untrue” evidence to a Commons select committee.

In an increasingly bitter war of words, Mulholland is to write to the committee saying Simmonds wrongly claimed the association’s code of conduct is legally binding.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West has also accused Ted Tuppen, chief of Enterprise Inns, the biggest pub company, of “a clear attempt to mislead MPs” when he emailed members this month. “Enterprise Inns are giving the impression that their licensees are earning a reasonable level of income — yet are not supplying figures,” Mulholland claimed.